Spoiler alert: the memes were misleading. Contrary to one of 2020’s most memorable memes, nature was not really healing while we sat at home last year.
The skies cleared up a bit, emissions fell slightly and people did notice some changes in animal behavior over a year in which COVID-19 kept people under stay-at-home orders, halted travel and shut down businesses around the world. But scientists say the emissions dip was barely a drop in the bucket and the pandemic hasn’t brought lasting climate change … though it might have opened people’s eyes to what’s possible.
It’s going to take more than staying home to slow climate change. We’ll need buy-in from corporations and governments, technological advances and collective behavior change. We’ll need global events like Earth Day and businesses like Dassault Systèmes to show us the way.
Originally held in 1970, Earth Day has mobilized more than 1 billion individuals, from over 75,000 partners, in 192 different countries, to activate the environmental movement over the past 50 years. Founded in 1981, Dassault Systèmes has invested in sustainable innovation since Day 1 and is committed to enabling businesses and people to harmonize product, nature and life.
This Earth Day, we’ll highlight three exciting projects that fit that mold. One that affects the air we breathe. One that touches the land on which we live. And one dedicated to preserving the water that is life.
Air: NIO
With a Chinese name, Weilai, which translates as “blue sky coming,” it’s only fitting that automotive startup NIO should have an ambitious vision of electric vehicles driving toward a more sustainable tomorrow. Since its 2014 founding, the company has been busy building a new generation of electric road cars that deliver superior performance – NIO’s recipe for attracting a customer base of young professionals who compare NIO’s vehicles against premium car brands.
NIO isn’t just focused on building better vehicles. They’re trying to change the world by changing user behavior: NIO wants electric vehicles to be a natural choice for young families and professionals in first- and second-tier cities. And the company chose the 3DEXPERIENCE platform as the foundation for its enterprise-wide research and development activities.
NIO’s new ES8 electric seven-seater SUV model launch was developed entirely on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Global teams collaborated seamlessly on the platform to quickly iterate on product designs, quickening an R&D cycle that outpaces traditional development methods.
Land: Maschio Gaspardo
The agricultural industry is responsible for about 24% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Italian agricultural equipment supplier Maschio Gaspardo believes humans have the responsibility to change that.
These innovators in precision farming use the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to make its equipment more environmentally responsible. In recognition of its efforts, Maschio Gaspardo has been chosen by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) as a case study of how an agricultural company can adopt a more sustainable methodology of lifecycle assessment.
“Environmental sustainability is a fundamental part of our company, as a more environmentally friendly approach to farming results in higher quality products that are ultimately healthier for the consumer,” Maschio Gaspardo President Mirco Maschio told Compass magazine. “We are developing innovative solutions to ensure we take responsibility for our planet, the resources it offers us and the people on it.”
Water: Water for Life
Last December, Dassault Systèmes kicked off “Water for Life,” the second act in our multi-year The Only Progress is Human campaign. Through Water for Life, 3DS aims to help our customers address the challenge of water protection from three angles: measure and optimize, innovate and create, and educate.
Examples of Water for Life in action can be found all over the globe. In France, startup EEL Energy is working with the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab to develop an undulating membrane to generate energy from currents, while engineering students from the Green Turtle project worked with 3DEXPERIENCE Edu to use fluid simulation and design modeling to create a trash-tracking, turtle-like robot to clean harbors.
In Africa, the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab and OceanHub Africa teamed up to provide the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and technical mentorship to ocean-minded businesses in the region. In India, with support of La Fondation, students from Walchand College of Engineering are creating a floating solid waste collection system for lakes and rivers.
